Liver and onion is a well rehearsed match. Ditto goat and curry.
So I figured it wasn’t too much of a stretch to put the two of those pairings together in order to make the most of a kid goat liver I half-inched from Gourmet Goat. The result was a sweet and surprisingly delicate meal, and I’m keen for you to give it a try.
Caramelised, curried onions work superbly alongside lightly spiced, seared kid goat liver, which has just a hint of the metallic flavour we associate with this type of offal. Sharply dressed peppery and mustardy leaves, and cooling Greek yoghurt are an essential part of the dish as they cut through the rich, spicy and sweet flavours, whilst ensuring all is bound together – don’t skip them!
If you can’t get hold of goat liver, try lamb or calf’s liver instead (pig liver’s a bit too ferrous for me, beef quite tough and venison maybe richer than you’d want for these spices).
This recipe was commissioned by Borough Market as part of my current series ‘The Offal Project’, which is published on their website. Read more of my words on liver – the what, why and how – over at boroughmarket.co.uk.
Curried Goat Liver and Onions
Serves 4
For the onions
- 1kg brown onions
- 25g butter
- 2 heaped teaspoons golden caster sugar
- Leaves stripped from 10 sprigs thyme
- 1 tablespoon garam masala (I recommend Spice Mountain)
- Sea salt
For the goat liver
- 450-500g kid goat liver
- 1 tablespoon curry powder (again, Spice Mountain)
- 1 tablespoon cold pressed rapeseed oil
- 2-3 tablespoons light rapeseed oil
- 20g butter
- Black pepper
To garnish
- 200g quality mixed leaves – wild rocket, sorrel, mustard leaves
- Juice 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons cold pressed rapeseed oil
- Sea salt
- Greek yoghurt
Peel, halve and slice the onions into thin crescents. Place a heavy bottomed saucepan on a low-medium heat. Add the butter and allow to melt for a moment, then tip the onions in, along with a couple of pinches of salt. Mix and start to sweat the onions, then add the sugar and thyme leaves. Mix again and cook over a low heat for 10-15 minutes. Over that time the onions will release a reasonable amount of moisture. Once the pan is nearly dry, place a lid on top and soften and sweeten the onions for 5 minutes more. Then add the garam masala, mix well, replace the lid and cook for a final 5 minutes.
Mix the curry powder, a few grinds of black pepper, 1 tablespoon cold pressed rapeseed oil and 2 tablespoons of light rapeseed (vegetable) oil in a bowl. This should be a wet paste – add a little more light rapeseed oil if you need it.
Use a very sharp knife to trim any fat and sinew from the goat liver. Then slice the liver on an angle into 2.5-3cm thick pieces, before dropping these into the curry paste and ensuring every edge is coated.
When the onions are ready, place a heavy-bottomed frying pan or cast iron griddle over your hottest hob and allow to heat up for at least 1 minute. Use tongs to place the pieces of liver on the hot pan – which should sizzle and sear immediately upon contact. Cook for 90 seconds, before turning the liver over and cooking for 90 seconds more. Add the butter to the pan, and turn the liver in the foaming, nutty, curried liquid to ensure all sides are covered before leaving to rest for 2 minutes.
Serve the livers sliced to show their blushing pink middle, with a large spoon of sweet curried onions, mixed leaves dressed in lemon juice, oil and salt, and a spoon of cold, thick, Greek yoghurt.
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